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The Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1864 > December > The musical world - Popular and International Journal of Arts and Literature
That is the title of a new journal published in Brussels with the format of large newspapers under the direction of Mr. Balibran and Mr. Roselli, names that are simultaneously a program and a recommendation for that kind of media. It is not the Arts part that we would like to appreciate. With that respect we resource to more competent persons that may assess according to their own titles. In fact it could not be confused with those frivolous papers that under the flagship of literature give their readers more baloney than substance and sometimes more blanks than text. The Monde Musical is a serious journal where every issue in its program is treated seriously and by skillful hands. This consideration is important to us. This journal is a first step of the independent press on the path of Spiritism. Without identifying itself as an institution that propagates the Doctrine it brought this judicious reasoning:
“True or false Spiritism occupied a place in the events of actuality that concern public opinion. The storms that it provoke in a certain world demonstrate that it has its importance; its propagations, despite the attacks of the clergy, demonstrates that it is not a fire spark that fades away; by the number of its followers it is already a power with which sooner or later we have to count on. If it is a mistake it will fall on its own; if it is a truth it is inevitably a revolution of the ideas and nothing will be able to oppose it. In both alternatives we must keep our readers aware of the current status of the issue. Between the option of discussing this or something else it would be better, in our opinion, to discuss this subject than to propagate the scandalous chronicles of the saloons. To provide our readers with the foundations of the idea we extracted part of our citations from the writings that give support to the followers of that doctrine; but since we do not want nor wish to force anybody’s opinion, without taking sides, we will admit the controversy as long as it does not move away from civility and honesty in the discussion. By keeping ourselves impartial each one remains free in their own beliefs. The contrary or supporting opinions that could be formulated in certain articles must be considered as personal to their respective writers and in anyway compromise the responsibility of the journal.”
That is the summary that was presented to us and that we can only applaud. It would be desirable that this example was followed by other vehicles in the press; what we criticize in them is not the discussion of our principles but the blind and systematically malevolent criticism that they make without knowing them and that denature those principles in a disloyal way. The papers that frankly enter this path far from losing out they will only gain materially because the Spiritists today form a mass of readers that is increasingly dominating and whose sympathy will naturally tend to their side. From that point of view the Monde Musical deserves encouraging.
Note: the Monde Musical is published on Sundays since October 1st, 1864. Price of subscription: 4 francs per year in Belgium; 10 francs in France. Subscription accept from the first day of each month; In Brussels in the office located at Rue l’Êcuyer, 18 and in Paris at the journals headquarter at Rue de Buffaut, 9.
A society was formed for the administration of this journal with a capital of 60,000 francs divided in 2,400 shares of 25 francs each.
“True or false Spiritism occupied a place in the events of actuality that concern public opinion. The storms that it provoke in a certain world demonstrate that it has its importance; its propagations, despite the attacks of the clergy, demonstrates that it is not a fire spark that fades away; by the number of its followers it is already a power with which sooner or later we have to count on. If it is a mistake it will fall on its own; if it is a truth it is inevitably a revolution of the ideas and nothing will be able to oppose it. In both alternatives we must keep our readers aware of the current status of the issue. Between the option of discussing this or something else it would be better, in our opinion, to discuss this subject than to propagate the scandalous chronicles of the saloons. To provide our readers with the foundations of the idea we extracted part of our citations from the writings that give support to the followers of that doctrine; but since we do not want nor wish to force anybody’s opinion, without taking sides, we will admit the controversy as long as it does not move away from civility and honesty in the discussion. By keeping ourselves impartial each one remains free in their own beliefs. The contrary or supporting opinions that could be formulated in certain articles must be considered as personal to their respective writers and in anyway compromise the responsibility of the journal.”
That is the summary that was presented to us and that we can only applaud. It would be desirable that this example was followed by other vehicles in the press; what we criticize in them is not the discussion of our principles but the blind and systematically malevolent criticism that they make without knowing them and that denature those principles in a disloyal way. The papers that frankly enter this path far from losing out they will only gain materially because the Spiritists today form a mass of readers that is increasingly dominating and whose sympathy will naturally tend to their side. From that point of view the Monde Musical deserves encouraging.
Note: the Monde Musical is published on Sundays since October 1st, 1864. Price of subscription: 4 francs per year in Belgium; 10 francs in France. Subscription accept from the first day of each month; In Brussels in the office located at Rue l’Êcuyer, 18 and in Paris at the journals headquarter at Rue de Buffaut, 9.
A society was formed for the administration of this journal with a capital of 60,000 francs divided in 2,400 shares of 25 francs each.